The Central government on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that the messaging platform Telegram has effectively become a “new dark web,” allegedly functioning as a conduit linking threat actors and enabling large-scale coordination of unlawful activities while masking user identities.
The submission was made in a counter-affidavit filed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) before the Vacation Bench of Justice Tejas Karia, in response to Telegram’s writ petition challenging the government’s decision to temporarily restrict access to the platform in India until June 22 ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination.
According to the affidavit, Telegram has increasingly been adopted by organised cybercriminal networks, with users allegedly posting links on public and private channels that connect to the deep web and underground forums. The Centre has claimed that this ecosystem makes it difficult for enforcement agencies to trace attribution, track originators of content and effectively dismantle coordinated digital networks.
The government has specifically argued that Telegram channels have been used in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, which led to the cancellation of the earlier examination conducted in May 2026. It was stated that the platform was being used to distribute leaked and fabricated question papers, coordinate payment-based access to examination material, and manipulate timestamps through the message-editing feature.
Invoking powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, MeitY issued directions temporarily blocking Telegram in India till June 22. A separate order also required the platform to disable the message-editing feature for previously sent messages until June 30. The measures, according to the government, were necessary to protect the sanctity of the NEET re-examination scheduled for June 21 and to prevent disruption of public order.
The Centre has submitted that Telegram channels were being used for structured dissemination of examination-related illicit content, including advance booking schemes, payment collection mechanisms and assurances of access to question papers. It has further alleged that fraudulent networks were exploiting the platform’s architecture to scale operations rapidly.
A specific Telegram channel titled “NEET Mafia,” which reportedly had around 18,617 subscribers, has been cited in the affidavit. According to the government, the channel was actively circulating material related to alleged paper leaks along with monetisation-based access arrangements. The Centre has argued that the scale of such channels demonstrates Telegram’s capacity for mass dissemination of unlawful content within seconds to large user bases.
The affidavit further highlights Telegram’s technical architecture, noting that its cloud-based system enables high-volume content transmission, while public channels can accommodate up to two lakh members and broadcast messages to virtually unlimited audiences. The government has contended that this design significantly amplifies the reach and speed of unlawful communication.
It has also raised concerns over Telegram’s use of bots and non-phone-number-based identifiers, stating that these features allow users to operate with a high degree of anonymity, thereby creating a fertile environment for cybercriminal activity.
The Centre has alleged that the platform is being used for a wide range of serious offences, including drug trafficking, cyber fraud, child sexual exploitation, terrorism-related activities and circulation of pirated digital content. It has further claimed that extremist groups and terror-linked entities are using Telegram channels for dissemination of radical propaganda, misinformation and content aimed at destabilising public order.
According to the affidavit, Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) is also being circulated through Telegram, alongside illegal distribution of films, web series and paid digital content. The government has also cited an increase in complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), where Telegram has frequently been identified as the medium used for executing cyber offences and fraud schemes.
Additionally, the Centre has alleged that Telegram bots are being used to aggregate and circulate sensitive personal data, including mobile numbers and Aadhaar-related information, raising further concerns about data misuse and privacy violations.
The government has argued that in situations where unlawful content proliferates at scale, selective takedown mechanisms become ineffective due to rapid recreation of channels and automated redistribution of material. It has therefore justified platform-level blocking as the only viable enforcement measure under Section 69A.
It has further submitted that any delay in imposing restrictions could have resulted in large-scale student unrest, disruption of public order and potential commission of cognisable offences, particularly given the sensitivity surrounding the NEET re-examination involving over 22 lakh candidates.
Telegram, represented by advocate Madhav Khosla, has challenged the blocking order as disproportionate and unconstitutional, contending that blanket restrictions cannot be imposed when less intrusive measures such as targeted takedowns are available. The platform has also claimed compliance efforts, including removal of over 900 URLs linked to alleged NEET-related unlawful content and deployment of artificial intelligence, machine learning tools and human moderation systems to detect violations.
The post Centre defends Telegram ban before Delhi High Court, warns of NEET paper leak risks appeared first on India Legal.